Stan`s No Tubes

[skidder]

Am thinking about trying Stan`s. I have heard good and bad things about it. My biggest concerns are reliability and weight. How much weight will I save over regular tubes?

[bitterfish26]

it is a good product i have no tubes on my fat possum and it is very good. The weights are similar to how much of the sealant you put in but the sealant is maybe 20 to 25 grams lighter per tire

[dirtworshipper]

I have pretty good luck with mine. We've got thorns around here and changing tires every ride gets old fast.

There isn't really a downside, other than the money for rim strips if you don't already have UST rims. If you get a gash or a hole in the tire so big it won't seal, throw in a tube and ride home. You'll be no worse off than if you had been running tubes from the get go.

I've never had much of a problem with pinch flats, but people I know who tend to bang their bike into sharp rocks a lot claim tubeless virtually eliminates the problem.

[plume_mtb]

it's good stuff.

[bitchslapmadman]

I adore Stan's but....his rims do not use eyelets. If you tension the spokes you will splitt the rims on the inside. I did it to the set and I have re-laced them with Mavic XM 819's and it has been ok.
I recently replaced them with Crossmax ST's.
A totally sweet ride compared to Stan's twitchy wheels that you can not tension. The rims flatspot easy as well.

and at 600 bux a set I expect MORE. He sent me 2 rims instead of cash. I am giving the rims away yto someone I do not like.
sincerely...marshall

[RideOrDieDan]

the best part about tubless and stans, better traction and less flats. just do it!

[Cyclenaut]

One caution about Stan's sealant: it is latex-based and contains ammonia. Latex will dry out over time, and ammonia will react with the tire and can corrode the inside of it. All this really means is that you need to check your sealant periodically to make sure it hasn't dried out. If you see little balls of sealant inside, it's time to change things up. Give the inside of your tire a once over and make sure it's not getting eaten.

[Johnny]

I second the thought concerning Stan's rims; we have seen the vast majority of them come back somehow ruined, especially the twenty-niner rims. We try to always recommend against them at the shop.
The sealant, however, is great and works very well, especially if you use a UST rim. I am a huge fan of 819's.

[EBasil]

I've been using Stan's for a few years now, in some Bontrager tubeless rims. I haven't had issues with the tires getting eaten, but I have had the goo dry up. That's a minor inconvenience and I love the durability, lack of pinch and thorn-flats and easy of installation (I did buy removable valve cores).

[wigger thomas]

I too am running Stan's w/ Bontrager UST rims. There have been a couple glitches like running over metal bailing ribbon on the road which sliced my Fire XC open and the Stan's couldn't repair it. Then there was a slow leak up front which simply required a couple scoops of Stan's as it had dried up. Everything was cool after that.

Pinch flats on rides are a distant memory.

[jimilton80401]

I used it for about two years before switching over to a full UST set up, but I continue to use the sealant for extra reassurance.
I could not get the initial inflation to happen with a standard floor pump, so I just ended up using a filling station compressor in town. That did make remounting tires a hassle as I had to pack up the bucket, soap, sponge and NoTubes kit and head out the the station with the free air pump and water faucet. If you have a home compressor, then you'll be all set.
the other issue was finding the correct tire. There was a local special on Kenda Trail Bears, which worked well on the trail, but had vy thin sidewalls that broke down well before the tread wore out. I eventually ended up with Specialized Adrenaline Pros, which seated very tightly and never broke down or leaked. Towards the end, though, the plies separated, which caused a pretty serious bubble to appear in the tire during a ride. I don't know if it was due to a mfg defect or the sealant or something else.
Anyways, besides some lighter weight, I found better traction and flat resistance to be the best parts.
The LBS told me that some of their guys did their own homemade tubless by splitting a 20" tube down the middle and using that for the rim liner, then filling the tire up w/ sealant. They claimed that this set up could handle downhill racing.

[bitterfish26]

yeah its true the 20" tube thing works and it works very well